Although usually identified with landfills and pipelines, the Hackensack Meadowlands is an amazingly diverse ecosystem providing vital animal and plant habitat. In a nod to a once common food plant here, we’ve brewed this beer with wild rice. We also added organic brown and white rice, as well as pils and pale malts.

Rice helps the beer ferment dry to better showcase the five different hops we added. Lots and lots of them. We then dry-hopped this Double IPA with even more–generous additions of Chinook and Citra hops to create a nose that hints at tangerine, mango, papaya and pine. This beer pairs extremely well with spicy foods and all kinds of seafood. And of course, it’s quite enjoyable all by itself.

Beer: Reviews & Ratings

Wasn't overly pleased with this beer. On the nose I got this sweet kinda oniony/garlic type dankness to it. Definitely not the best smelling DIPA in the world. The taste to me was like this earthly slightly piney, sweet type taste. It says it's dry hopped with Citra........wasn't getting much citrus notes. I've been trying TONS of IPAs and DIPAs lately and this one is on the bottom in my opinion. (400 characters)

I do not believe the rice is helping them here. Like others have said, hops are suppressed. It's missing the bite I expect from dipas and even ipas. That being said, at 8.2% this is very drinkable. Almost tastes like a session dipa would. (238 characters)

Look: Fluffy white head at least 3 fingers deep. Cumulonimbus on top of a pale gold body. Head is so dense it leaves super thick lace on the side.Smell: Once the head dies down a bit I get a fairly powerful aroma of tangerines and pine.Taste: Pretty close to the nose, tropical fruits with grassy notes. Doesn't pack as much of a punch as I was hoping for from the aroma and freshness date but still quite pleasent.Feel: Resin with a very noticeable dryness. The dryness apparently comes from the wild rice. Very fluffy with a great level of carbonation.Overall: Pretty impressive IIPA. Love the tropical flavors with the dryness. Maybe AB had something with rice additives... (680 characters)

So I was very excited to try this one, as it appears to have a decent amount of acclaim behind it. Poured into a standard pint glass to find a rather ordinary IPA in appearance. Certainly nothing bad, as it's crystal clear straw color allowed for a nice definition between the beer and foamy white head. Not too long after, head dissipates almost completely. Lacing not very apparent either. Nose was confusing at first. Smelled bitter, but no real essence to attach to that bitterness. No floral, no pine, no onion. Just strangely bitter. Taste follows the nose until an earthy taste comes up. Finishes very thin and leaves just a bit of bitter on the tongue with no sweetness. Had I not seen this categorized as a DIPA, I would have called it an ESB in a blind tasting. (771 characters)

Color is light gold, almost straw. Very slight haze, but pretty clear. Two finger white head that faded to a light coating of bubbles. Some lacing, but it slides back down fairly quickly. Smell is herbal, grassy hops and malt. Flavor pretty much follows that with some grassy flavors and some caramel malt with a mildly bitter lemony finish. Body is light with quite a bit of carbonation. Overall, it's any easy drinking, tasty beer. (503 characters)

BBD 3/6/15. Pours a clear golden with an excellent head volume and retention. Lacing is World Class.

Excellent nose of citrus hops over a light biscuit sweetness. Grapefruit and tropicals (tangerine, mango) over a subtle spruce element yield a World Class aroma similar to Sculpin, but not as intense.

Light medium body with a smooth texture that also has a nice oily aspect. Normal carbonation with effervescence in the finish.

Like the nose, the flavor profile is similar to Sculpin, but is not quite as intense. It is complex and expertly balanced. It begins with a blend of hop flavors that separate into a slightly bitter grapefruit that flows into the sweeter tropicals, with a mild balancing biscuit sweetness. The middle is slightly bitter and has an orange rind note. The finish is a slow fade of mild bitterness inducing a subtle puckering effect that is slightly dry. The 8.2% alcohol is totally hidden and represents a brewing masterpiece. (963 characters)

What a wonderful brew. I'll assume it's the rice that gives this a great lightness of feel, to go along with a really wonderful mix of light tropical fruit and grassiness. It's incredibly unique and incredibly delicious. Love that, somehow, this one makes it so far out West, and it also makes me wish that rice would lose its bogeyman adjunct status. Works here; works, apparently, for Kuhnhenn DRIPA; would love to see it employed elsewhere. (443 characters)

I stumbled upon this beer completely randomly (and thank GOD I did). I was scouring my local beer and wine establishment, constructing my own unique six-pack. Last night I was particularly in the mood for an IPA...nay...a DOUBLE IPA. I encountered this beer in a stroke of fate. I let it get cold in my freezer and downed it as my second pint of the evening. Strong, sweet, powerful flavor that leaves you desperately desiring more. Smooth finish with a pleasant aftertaste. Definitely one of the better beers I've tried in recent memory and glad to see it's getting positive reviews on here as well. Definitely check this one out if you love double IPAs. (663 characters)

T: bitter onions, maybe some grass; wow -- some very nice grain, almost sweet grain; what a mix ... there's some definite sweetness in there, and it's hard to tell if it's bread-malt sweetness or something coming off the hops; the bitterness is mostly grassy with slight citrus notes; much sweeter to the aroma's saltiness; maybe some tangerine ... definitely a bit of orange sweetness; salty onion aftertaste mixed in with a slight lingering sweetness

F: very solid, good carbonation, lightweight but full

O: boy is this nice ... not overly bitter but also avoiding the cloying caramel/mangoey sweetness of many American DIPAs; the onions in the nose belie the label's suggestion that the dry-hopped Chinook and Citra hops give it smells of "tangerine, mango, papaya and pine" -- I smell very little of that, maybe some tangerine and pine, but for me, I LOVE the onions. the mix of salty nose/sweeter taste is different and very cool.

I purchased this bottle at the Fridge, poured chilled from the 12oz brown bottle in an IPA glass.

The color golden clear with visible carbonation and 2 1/2 fingers of white head with avg bead and snowy wavy lace. The smell has a lot of citrus and tropical aroma wiht light grapefruit in the nose and slight floral hop ester with a moderately herbal scent. The feel is very lush with lots of hop resins and low astringency with medium light carbonation and moderate bitterness and mild dry tangy finish.

The taste is lightly spiced up front with tangerine and grapefruit hop flavor with perhaps a mild pineapple aroma carrying over into the taste with fruity tropical quality and light hint of herbal hop aspects. The malt is low in the taste with mild pepper and juicy citrus the focus with mild grain flavor as it warms with subtle alcohol. Overall I really enjoyed this with nice use of Citra and Chinook for both the aroma ...the rice adds to the feel giving a gentle dry impression which enhances drinkability. (1,018 characters)

Wow. Drank the whole bottle before realizing it was 8.2.So smooth for a DIPA. Great head and lacing lasted the whole way through. Definetly sweet from the rice. Light color and smell. Only complaint would be it needs more hop bite. I bought this in a mixed six pack and will definitely be getting a whole sixer in the future. (327 characters)

medium clarity. smells like sweet hops - tangerine pine. mild carbonation. dry. mild but refreshing. smooth and not too bitter for an dipa. tastes like ipa sake. i pick up on the rice malt combo. easy to drink. overall well balanced. alcohol is a tad overly apparent at the end. (279 characters)

Pours more yellow than expected, kind of a golden color. Good head develops and retention is quite good, leaving a light tan, 1/2" thick layer 15 minutes after the pour. Smell is well balanced with a solid piney hop lead and malt playing back up. Taste is hoppy up front, malt hides but can be found, a bit of grass is present and some alcohol. Not the normal profile of an Imperial IPA, more of a normal one with a lityle more alcohol.Drying, medium bodied, medium effervescence. A bit harsh on the swallow. (511 characters)

The pour was a lightly cloudy golden yellow with an average (1-2 finger) white creamy head that diminished slowly, down to a large puddled film and medium collar with excellent sheets of lacing.

The aroma was pleasantly sweet with light grain malts, citrus and floral hops and a mild earthy yeast with notes of caramel, citrus (grapefruit and tangerine), tropical fruit (mango, pineapple and papaya) and a very light hint of alcohol.

The taste started out lightly sweet with notes of caramel and citrus, but quickly became moderately bitter with a bold fruitiness and a strong alcohol presence at the end. The flavor lasted for a nice long time following the swallow, with a hoppy alcohol taste left lingering on the taste buds.

Mouthfeel was a bit beyond light in body with a creamy, dry texture and a carbonation that was a subdued medium in intensity.

Overall this is a really tasty and well balanced IPA. I don't know if it is the rice that made the difference, but it is put together exceptionally well making it a very enjoyable drinking experience...

My bottle is about 14 months old, but was stored well in a dark indoor location, so I think it did nicely. The label says "WILD RICE" in big letters, but it smells and tastes like a typical quality IPA to me, particularly in the abundance of citrus. Very attractive hazy gold color. Drinks incredibly smoothly for a DIPA. Really like this one. Next time I'm in Jersey I'm going to need to buy more. (398 characters)

Brilliant golden sunrise color! Very nice. Head dissipates quickly, but that's not a big deal for me. The smell... hmm. There IS some citrus, but something else too that I am not that fond of. Could this be the rice? Not sure. Very faint hint of nail polish. Or a bit of sourness. Not terrible. Just not that appealing.

The taste is for me primarily piney rather than citrusy. Again, there is a sort of muted flavor of... something I can't quite pin down... that I am not used to in IPA's. It's... OKAY. Is the flavor actually improving somewhat as it warms? Could be, or maybe I've had too much alcohol over the past hour or so.

Carbonation is pretty... active at first. Then settles down.

Well... it's not typical of the style, and there is no crime in that.

Overall, it is a beer that I would not turn down if offered to me. I don't think I would buy it again though. (874 characters)

Taste: Sweet, buttery malts. Very dry. Some grapefruit and citrus hop flavors present. I notice some of that vodka alcohol feel too. Strong, but not overpowering like the liquor, but impossible not to notice.

Mouthfeel: Extremely light. Drinks likes an adjunct, but the rest is right on point. It's not over-carbonated and really allows the malts and hops to balance delicately on the palate.

Overall: This beer has it all: hops, malts, uniqueness. Very well done. (720 characters)

T: Citrus rind and tropical fruit hops, and a touch of bubblegum up front (there are certain sips of this beer that taste of Belgian yeast - I'm not certain why). Then pine resin hops, alcohol/ethanol flavor (possibly from the rice?). Lightly bitter with an almost berry-fruit sweetness in the hang.

O: A different take on an IPA, for sure. It's not bad, but just not something I'd go back to repeatedly. A worthy experiment, perhaps, but not one I'm sure succeeded as much as was intended. (957 characters)

You get a finger of bone white foam, the head has a fairly dense weave but has so-so retention, the lacing comes in broad sheets which slowly slide down the glass side. Clean, pure golden color, not especially vivid but bright and shiny, the bubbles are fat and dispersed, slowly rising to the surface. Powerful nose that explodes out of the glass with a sweet mélange of tangelo and pink grapefruit citrus, very floral, pine sap and honey, underneath is the stiffening presence of pretzel dough and salt, somewhat chocolaty, the nectarine, peach, pineapple, papaya fruit persists quite well, gregariously rich. Full-bodied, thick and close to fluffy, pushes across the palate like a rug unfolding. The carbonation has some punch yet no way can it clean up the underlying sweetness of all that grapefruit, tangerine, lime citrus as well as peach, apricot, mango, pineapple fruit. No noticeable herbaceous edge, perhaps a slight minerality and it may be that the rice contributes to a drier finish and overall smoothness. Alcohol managed well. Not particularly complex nor challenging, however, if you enjoy a sweeter and softer style of IPA then this is pretty much a slam dunk. (1,179 characters)